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UN lifts sanctions on Iraq
The UN security council today overwhelmingly approved a resolution that lifts stringent sanctions against Iraq and confers legitimacy on the US and British led occupation.Yes-s-s-s-s-h! The 14-0 vote saw Germany, France and Russia - the security council members most vehemently opposed to the war - line up behind resolution 1483, which provides a limited role for the UN in Iraq's post-war reconstruction. The vote handed control of Iraq's oil resources to the occupying powers. Sounds like we got what we wanted. Only Syria refused to endorse the resolution, its seat at the council table in New York remaining resolutely empty during the vote. Can we hide their chair? The final resolution represents a compromise, but leaves the underlying goal of the US and its allies intact: Washington and London, as occupying powers, remain firmly in control of Iraq and its oil wealth "until an internationally recognised, representative government is established". The British ambassador to the UN, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, said he hoped the near-unanimous support for the resolution would "mark a return to sustained consensus" in the council. The UN was deeply divided after the US and Britain pressed ahead with an attack on Iraq without UN approval. The resolution draws to a close nearly 13 years of severe sanctions, including aviation restrictions, devised to cripple Saddam Hussein's regime. However it continues to bar the trade in arms and related materials. "The lifting of sanctions marks a momentous event for the people of Iraq," said the US ambassador to the UN, John Negroponte. "The liberation of Iraq has cleared a path for today's action." Nearly half the seven-page resolution deals with arrangements to phase out the UN oil-for-food humanitarian programme over the next six months. The US and Britain will then control Iraq's oil revenue instead of the UN. During the phase-out period, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan will go through US$10bn worth of contracts approved and funded under the programme and decide whether they are needed by the Iraqi people. Many of these contracts are with Russian companies. Here's your chance, Kofi, and we'll be watching. I don't think we need any spare parts for the palaces. Mr Negroponte also announced the creation of an Iraqi development fund in the country's central bank. The fund will have an international advisory and monitoring board intended to provide transparency. The US and Britain have repeatedly stated that the country's oil wealth will be used for the benefit of the Iraqi people. The resolution grants immunity from lawsuits involving oil and natural gas until an internationally recognised government is in place, and Iraq's $400bn debt is restructured. This keeps the Russian and French oil companies from suing over the broken contracts. S-wwweeeet! With the immediate lifting of sanctions, Pakistan's UN ambassador Munir Akram and other council diplomats said they expect Iraqi oil exports to resume quickly. Some 8m barrels of Iraqi oil in storage at the Turkish port of Ceyhan, one of Iraq's two export terminals, can be sold immediately, diplomats said. The resolution gives the UN a stronger role in establishing a democratic government than initially envisioned, and the stature of a UN special representative in Iraq is increased. Mr Annan has promised a quick appointment, and speculation centred on the UN high commissioner for human rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, who has Washington's support. Sergio can arrange the placemats and the pencils for the meetings. Posted by: Steve White 2003-05-22 |
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